Wenger has complained about his side’s hectic schedule (Picture: Getty)

‘It wasn’t tiredness that cost them, or Bournemouth for that matter. It was a mental thing for both of them. Arsenal weren’t at it early on but when they came back into it, Bournemouth got a bit nervous, they stopped playing as much and ended up conceding.

‘Too many managers talk about players being knackered before a game. Telling footballers they are tired gives them an excuse straight away.

‘You have got to be positive as a manager. If you look at the pitch before the game and start complaining about it there and then, it gets into the players’ heads.

Arsenal's remaining fixtures

Everton (H) - Sun 21 MayChelsea - FA Cup (N) - Sat 27 May

‘If you went back in the dressing room in, say a cup game away somewhere, and started saying, “I’ve seen this pitch, it’s not good enough for us and I’ve told the referee”, the players change their attitude. You should be saying, “we’re good enough to play on anything” and, “our players are the fittest around so they can cope with the workload”.’